Rio de Janeiro -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Among the fearless young men carving scars into the faces of towering waves , is the `` King of Surfing . ''

At 41 , Kelly Slater is old enough to be the father of some of his competitors on the Surfing World Tour . But the 11-time world champion -- dubbed `` King Kelly '' -- is far from washed up . At a time when his friends are settled down with families , the original surfing pin-up boy is still scoring perfect 10s on the international circuit .

`` Friends that were on tour with me 20 years ago , 10 years ago , are now family guys married with kids , '' he said . `` They say ' I ca n't believe you 're still doing it , that you 're looking for waves every day . '

`` But I want to surf better tomorrow . I want to surf better in 10 years . When I 'm 50 I want to be a better surfer than I am now -- for me it 's a lifelong journey . ''

Rise to the top

For Slater , it 's a journey that began as a child growing up in the surfing town of Cocoa Beach , in Florida .

Aged 20 he became the youngest person to win the Surfing World Championship , smashing the record books again when he also became the oldest person to win the title at 39 .

Watch video : Looking for the perfect wave

Indeed , Slater is one of the few professional surfers to have transcended the niche sports magazines to the society pages , appearing in dozens of films and starring in hit 1990s TV show Baywatch .

`` I wanted to be -LSB- the actor -RSB- Steve Martin when I was a kid . I wanted to be a comedian , '' said Slater .

`` When I was eight or 10 years old I did n't know that I could have a career from surfing . There were pro surfers who were my heroes , but those guys were n't rich . They were just surfing and traveling and that 's really been the goal my whole life . ''

Spiritual surfing

Surfing is more than a career for Slater -- it 's a spiritual experience , providing solace and filling him with a sense of wonder at nature .

`` Surfing is my religion , if I have one , '' he said . `` The barrel -LSB- the hollow of a breaking wave -RSB- is really the ultimate ride for any surfer . It 's the eye of the storm . Some guys say it 's like being in the womb .

`` For me it 's sort of like time slows down . You become hyper aware of a lot of different things -- the way the wave is breaking , timing , putting yourself in the right part of the barrel . It takes all of your mental capacity to do it just right . ''

Despite being one of the oldest competitors on the international circuit , Slater has lost none of the grace , skill and fearlessness that made him the most successful surfer in the history of the sport .

He scored a perfect 10 for a jaw-dropping reverse flip at notoriously treacherous Bell 's Beach in southern Australia last year .

`` This section came at me , and I just launched myself , kind of a ` Hail Mary , ' '' said Slater .

`` I did n't know if I was going to land it , or if I was going to break my board , or if I was going to break an ankle . ''

Daredevils

But along with the thrills come huge dangers , with Slater admitting that many of his friends have drowned while surfing .

`` It makes you think about what it 's worth . But what 's life worth ? Life 's worth experiences and it 's worth the people in your life too , '' he said .

`` I 'm sure it 's different once you have a partner in your life or kids -- maybe that one wave 's not that important any more . ''

And as technology develops , the mega waves which decades ago surfers could only dream of riding , are now within reach .

Today , thrill seekers are towed by jet ski into colossal waves that would once have been out of bounds . But the dangers are just as large , with surfers risking being pushed up to 15-meters below the water .

`` Big waves are a whole different ball game , '' said Slater . `` You 're riding a wave with an immense amount of speed and power , generally over 10 meters . On the face of the wave , obviously life and death thoughts start to happen . ''

Same ball game

Slater has been chasing waves his whole life . And you get the feeling his obsession with the water has little to do with the $ 3.5 million in prize money he 's earned .

`` The other day we were watching this dog chasing a ball , and I was like ` God would n't it be so great if you could do the same thing over and over and over again your whole life and it 's still as fun ? ' '' he said .

`` And I 'm like : wait ! That 's what we do . We travel around the whole world just to do that . So waves for surfers are like balls for dogs . We 're just constantly chasing them . ''

He may have been playing the same ball game over more than four decades , but when it comes to surfing , Slater 's love is as deep as the ocean .

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`` King Kelly '' Slater is the most successful pro surfer in history

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At 41 , Slater competes against surfers half his age , shows no sign of slowing down

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Surfing is a `` religion '' for 11-time world champion , who finds beauty and solace in waves

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Thrill comes with danger , with friends losing lives to giant waves